Piedmont Columbus Regional has opened the Bill and Oliva Amos Children’s Hospital— a 30-bed, 77,137-square-feet facility in Columbus, Georgia that addresses the unique needs of children from birth to age 18.

The first patient treated at the freestanding children’s hospital on Oct. 14 was 4-year-old Nalani Lewis, who was hospitalized for asthma-related issues. She transferred from the fifth floor at Piedmont Columbus Midtown and had been in the hospital since the day before.

The transformational project to turn the former Doctors Hospital facility into the Bill and Oliva Amos Children’s Hospital was made possible thanks to a generous donation from Bettye and Cecil Cheves, followed by an outpouring of community support to help make dreams of a state-of-the-art pediatric facility a reality in the heart of Columbus.

The hospital’s child-friendly, therapeutic environment incorporates color, technology, architectural design and the senses to provide immediate comfort in a child’s mind. Locally commissioned art, décor, interactive screens, wood features, outdoor garden space and attractive seating throughout that mirrors the beauty seen on the banks of the nearby Chattahoochee River provide a calm, healing space. Embedded wayfinding on each floor themed with an animal like a turtle, squirrel, lizard or hummingbird helps visitors easily navigate to where they need to go.

“In addition to a beautiful space, other features include family-centered amenities such as an activity room, laundry facilities, a food pantry, room service dining, a separate discharge area and an outdoor playground to ease the burden on families with loved ones in the hospital,” said Director of Women and Children’s Services Jonetta Chestnut.

The hospital features a 30-bed pediatric inpatient unit with several sibling (semi-private) rooms as well as isolation and behavioral safe rooms, a pediatric intensive care unit and a pediatric intermediate care unit. An enclosed connection corridor links the Bill and Olivia Amos Children’s Hospital to Piedmont Columbus Regional Midtown. This corridor provides a convenient and efficient way for team members to transport patients, move equipment and provide increased interoperability between the two hospital buildings.

“Patient rooms are a ‘safe space,’ meaning treatment or procedures will not take place there, but in our treatment and procedure room instead,” said Chief Nursing Officer Cary Burcham.

A dedicated, pediatric-trained care team allows parents to take comfort in knowing their child is receiving quality care. Areas of specialty include pediatric surgery, pediatric intensive care, pediatric hospitalists, child life services, pediatric infusion services, pediatric endocrinology and pediatric neurology. Pediatric emergency services are provided at the nearby Midtown hospital.

“We are fortunate to have extraordinary local pediatricians and pediatric specialists that work within our facility, said Chief of Pediatrics Rebecca Reamy, M.D. “We are looking forward to expanding as we recruit the best providers and specialists to address the ongoing needs of our community. Additional space inside the children’s hospital will be created in future phases as pediatric services grow.”

Visit Piedmont.org/BillandOliviaAmosCH for more information on the Bill and Olivia Amos Children’s Hospital.

Media note: Visit this Dropbox link for pictures and videos of the facility.